Tag: fall produce

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Sauteed Chard with Dates and Garbanzo Beans

summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad
This was another attempt to use up large amounts of greens before they wilted past the point of no return. I love making warm wilted greens in the winter instead of salads. It’s so much more satisfying and comforting. The combination of sweet dates and savory spiced garbanzo beans adds complexity and takes these healthy greens to a whole new level. If it wasn’t already good enough, another reason to eat chard is its’ plethora of health benefits. It has lots of antioxidants, vitamin C (for immunity), vitamin K (for bone strength), omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin A, calcium, potassium and iron (red blood cell production).

According to “nutrition-and-you.com”, regular inclusion of chard in the diet has been found to prevent osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin-A deficiency; and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and colon and prostate cancers

  • 1/2 can garbanzo beans
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 large bunch green chard
  • about 8 cups-worth spinach
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 10 dates
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt pepper
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  1. heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and mince garlic
  2. add garlic to the pan with the cumin paprika and chili flakes
  3. drain garbanzos and add them to the skillet, stirring to coat them in the spices
  4. continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until garbanzos start to brown a little bit
  5. slice chard and spinach and add chard in batches to the skillet, pit and slice dates
  6. in the first batch add the water and cover for 1 minute
  7. then remove cover and add more chard, flipping so that the already cooked greens are on top
  8. continue this process until all of the chard and kale are cooked about evenly, turn the heat down
  9. add the sliced dates and mix in, remove from heat and move to a large mixing bowl
  10. squeeze lemon juice in and mix, adding salt and pepper to taste

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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(Mostly) Vegetarian Fall Stew

summer bulgur-heirloom tomato saladThere’s nothing like warm soup during these cold months and there is so much good seasonal produce to use. Another plus of slow-cooking a soup like this, is it makes your house smell really nice and cozy.

  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 2 small yellow onions
  • 1 large fuji apple
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 celery
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • salt n pepper
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 sprig each sage and thyme
  • 1 pat butter
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can canellini beans
  • 5 small carrots
  • 1 bunch kale
  1. slice onions and mince garlic
  2. add butter to large pot, add onions, garlic, spices and herbs to pot
  3. let cook at medium low heat until onions start turning opaque
  4. peel carrots and sweet potato, then slice them along with the celery and apple, into smaller-than-bite-size pieces
  5. add these fruits and veggies to the pot and add the chicken broth and water
  6. drain canellini beans and add them to the pot
  7. cover and let cook on medium low heat for 5 hours, the longer it cooks the more flavorful it will be
  8. clean and slice kale away from the stem and add to the pot
  9. continue cooking until kale begins to wilt, serve with hearty bread, with some garlic and melted cheese perhaps

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Stuffed Delicata Squash

    • 2 delicata squashes
    • 1 cup walnuts
    • 1/2 cup sage
    • 1 egg
    • 1/4 cup chicken broth
    • 1/2 cup asiago
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1/4 cup Caramelized Shallots and Apples
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • salt n peppa
    1. pre-heat oven to 350°F
    2. mince garlic, grate or shred asiago and chop the walnuts and sage
    3. cut squashes in half and spoon out seeds and insides
    4. lay them skin side down and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
    5. in a mixing bowl, mix walnuts, garlic, sage, egg, chicken broth and caramelized onions and apples
    6. fill the squashes with the mixture then bake for 20 minutes or until starting to turn golden
    7. sprinkle asiago on top and put under broiler for 5 more minutes or until cheese is completely melted and starting to crisp

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Fennel, Orange and Feta Salad

  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 orage
  • 1/4 head butter lettuce
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese (preferably the block one)
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 3 sm yellow beets
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup grainy mustard
  1. cut tops off of fennel and remove outside layers, slice fennel thinly and place in a large bowl
  2. zest the orange into the bowl then halve and juice one half into the bowl; peel and slice the other half and add it to the salad
  3. slice the butter lettuce into bite sized pieces and add to bowl; peel and slice beets and add to bowl
  4. crumble feta cheese (if it isn’t already crumbled) into the salad bowl and add the almonds, pomegranate seeds, mustard and vinegar

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Apple Turnovers

Nothing says fall like apple desserts. Except maybe pumpkin desserts. Which I will broach later this week/weekend. Here is an easy apple turnover recipe I threw together for an impromptu dessert tonight. To top off this seasonal dessert, already made with love, I used apples that we picked with my parents in the Cal Poly orchards last weekend.

serves 2 (heaping servings though)

  • 1 apple
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 sheet puff pastry
  • 2 tsp cardamom
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp raw brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup ricotta
  1. thaw a puff pastry sheet, dice apple and grind or slice walnuts
  2. heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in pan and add the apple, cardamom, cinnamon and a drizzle of honey
  3. cover and let simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes
  4. pre-heat oven to 350°F and cut the puff pastry in half then cut that half in triangles
  5. once apple start softening, take off heat and let cook a minute
  6. then fill one half of each triangle with just enough of the apple mixture, making sure you can still fold dough over and seal them and that there is some leftover for topping
  7. then fold dough in half and push sides down with a fork, sealing the triangles
  8. brush with remaining melted coconut oil and sprinkle with sugar
  9. place on lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and puffy
  10. while baking, whip ricotta and 1/4 cup honey in a food processor
  11. serve each turnover with a spoonful of whipped honey ricotta and the remaining apple/walnut mixture and a drizzle of the remaining honey

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Celery, White Bean Soup

  • 1 bunch celery
  • 1/2 large white onion
  • 1 can cannellini/white beans
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 sprigs each rosemary and thyme
  • pepper and salt
  1. mince garlic and add it to a large pot with olive oil
  2. dice onion and add to pan with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and the herbs
  3. drain the beans and slice the celery
  4. add them to the pot along with the rest of the chicken broth
  5. add pepper and salt to taste
  6. great with some grainy bread

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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